Vehicle-body.



PATENT-D001 zo, 190s.

No. 741,893.- Y

t W. G. DORLAND.

AVEHIGLB BGDY. APPLICATION FILEDMAILG, 1903.

`No MODEL.

AIIIIIIII IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIlllllllllllllll NITED STATES Patented October 20, 1903.

WILLIAM Gr. DORLAND, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

VEHICLE-BODY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 741,893, dated October 20, 1903.

v V Application iiled March 6, 1903. Serial No.4 146.479. (No modem T0 all whom, t muy concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM G. DORLAND, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city of Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Vehicle-Bodies, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relatesto vehicle-bodies, and more particularly to that portion which forms the boot in the type of vehicle commonly known as a buggy The objects of the invention are, rst, to provide a cover for the boot consisting of two inflexible parts, wherebyV the rear portion only of the boot is exposed when small articles are to be introduced into or removed from the boot, but whereby the entire boot may be uncovered when large articles are to be inserted or removed; second, to provide means whereby the cover tends to hug the tailpiece of the boot, even when the more forward portion of the cover is elevated to receive an article of greater height than the side pieces of the boot, and, third, to provide means whereby all portions of said cover may at all times tend to stay down in position upon the boot. I attain these objects by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying 'drawings, in which- Figures l and 2 are both side views of a vehicle-body having aportion of the side broken away to show the cover-operating mechanism. In Fig. l both cover parts are shown in full lines to be down, and in dotted lines the rear cover part alone is shown in a raised position. In Fig. 2 there is illustrated in full lines the tendency of the cover to hug the tailpiece of the boot, and in dotted lines is illustrated the tendency of the two cover parts to lie in the same plane when raised.

Similar reference characters denote similar 5o hinged to the vehicle-body in such a manner that the upper forward edge of said .cover part has an axis of rotation at the upper extremity of the angle portions a' of the sides a. Said cover part is made of wood or other inflexible material and is of such a width that the lower edge of said cover part extends to the lower extremity of said angle portions a'. The rearcover part f is also made of wood or other substantially inflexible material and is hinged at its forward `edge to the rear edge of the cover part c. The width of said cover partfin a front and rear direction is substantially equal to the length of the angle portion o2 of the sides of the vehicle, so that the rear edge of said cover part f extends to or slightly beyond the tailpiece c.

The rod g is secured to the under side of the rear cover part fand extends therefrom to a point forward of the connection between the forward and rear cover parts. At the forward extremity of said rod g there is pivotally connected thereto the helical tensionspring h, which is secured at its forward extremity to a brace t', located within the vehicle-body at a point forward of the forward cover part e.

The form of vehicle here illustrated is the one commonly called a buggy, the rear portion of the-,body thereof being termed the boot-f In operation on account of the arrangement of the parts, in which -the rod g is upon the under side of the cover partfand the point of attachment of said rod to the helical spring h is forward of the point of connection of the two cover parts, the general tendency of the V cover parts is-for both to make close contact throughout the entire angle portions o.' and a2 of the sides a. Vhen pressure is applied near the rear edge of the cover part f to raise the same, said cover part will rise; but the forward cover part e will remain down in position, as shown in Fig. 1. Inasmuch as the point of attachment of the spring 7L to the rod g is in front of the pivoted connection between the two cover parts, when the rear portion of said cover partfis raised said spring will tend to lower the same. Thus the rear edge of the rear cover part tends to remain down; but the rear edge may be raised without disturbing the forward cover part e. If, however, there is introduced into the boot near the forward portion thereof a package of a height greater than the sides of the ve- IOO hicle-body, the point of hinged connection between the cover parts will rise and come more nearly into line, as illustrated in full lines in Fig. 2. During this time, however, the rear portion of the rear cover partf will continue to lie in contact with the tailpiece c, thereby improving the looks of the boot and at the same time keeping out the weather. After the cover parts e and f have come approximately into line if the cover parts are further raised by reason of the presence of a package in the forward portion of the boot both cover portions will swing about the hinged forward edge of the forward cover part e, as illustrated in dotted lines in Fig. 2.

From the above description it is apparent that only a portion of the boot need be opened up to introduce or remove small articles, but that when larger articles are to be carried they may lie in position without causing the rear extremity of the boot-cover to remain elevated above the tailpiece.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. In a vehicle-body, a boot having sides the upper edges whereof are disposed at two different angles of inclination, and a two-part cover, one of said cover parts being pivoted to the upper portion of the boot to cover the portion of the boot having one angle in inclination, and the second of said cover parts being hinged to said first cover part to cover the portion of the boot having the second angle of inclination.

2. In a vehicle-body, the combination of a boot having sides whose upper edges are inclined at two diiferent angles, a seat at the upper portion of said body, a cover part hinged to said body at the rear extremity of said seat and a second cover part hinged to the free extremity of said Iirst cover part.

3. In a vehicle-body, the eom-bination of a boot forming the rear portion of said body, a

cover part having a hinged connection to said body, a second cover part having a hinged in said vehicle-body and the other end connected to said covers near the hinged connection of one of said cover parts to the other of said cover parts.

5. In a vehicle-body, the combination of a boot, a forward cover part hinged to said boot, a rear cover part hinged to the rear free edge of said forward cover part, a rod secured to said rear cover part and a spring connected to said rod at a point thereon forward of the forward edge of said rear cover part for yieldingly holding both ofsaid cover parts down in position upon said boot.

6. In a vehicle-body, the combination of a boot, a forward cover part hinged to said boot, a rear cover part hinged to the rear free edge of said forward cover part, a rod secured to said rear cover part on the under side thereof and projecting forward of the forward edge of said rear cover part, a helical tension-spring pivotally connected to the forward extremity of said rod, and fixed means of attachment inside of said vehicle-body whereto is secured the remaining extremity of said tension-spring.

W ILLIAM G. DORLAND.

Vitnesses:

JOHN G. EBERSTEIN, MARY F. LINCOLN. 

